US Library Journal review – an ‘important book on the place of firearms in the modern era’

The influential US review ‘The Library Journal’ has reviewed The Way of the Gun. It said the following:

Investigative journalist and award-winning broadcaster Overton explores the worldwide impact of firearms, specifically the influence of the Second Amendment, which declares the right to keep and bear arms. Originally published in the UK, this book follows Overton as he travels the world meeting gun owners, sellers, and manufacturers along with victims of gun violence. These trips take him to gun shows and factories, hunting ranches, police stations, lobbyists’ offices, and even crime bosses’ hideouts. His observations on the sexual appeal of guns and the international impact of the right to bear arms are especially intriguing. The author supports his antigun conclusions with disturbing data on the profits of firearm sales, the illicit gun trade, and the multitude of gun victims, although he occasionally makes sweeping conclusions based on scant evidence. Firearms are transformative, argues Overton, taking man’s basic impulses to heights of pain, power, profit, and desire.

VERDICT This important book on the place of firearms in the modern era will attract readers interested in contemporary world affairs, U.S. gun rights and gun culture and their influence on other countries as well as the weapons industry.